The Krishna Key – Book Review

This post is’ first’ of many kinds!This is the first time, I am
doing a review for a book of a different genre.And the first one happens to be
Ashwin Sanghi’s thriller -The Krishna Key.This also happens to be my first read
of this author’s book.

The author – Ashwin Sanghi…

Ashwin Sanghi is an entrepreneur by profession but due to his
passion for thrillers ,took up writing historical thrillers. This book is his
third,the other two being-The Rozabal Line,a theological thriller and the political thriller-Chanakya Chant.

The Book – The Krishna Key …..

I love thrillers and this
one is no exception.Each chapter starts with Lord Krishna narrating a story from the Mahabharata, followed by the story that
is set in modern times.

The story starts with the murder of Anil Varshney, a leading
linguist and symbolist. The story revolves around 4 seals from the Vedic period
.Anil has one and has given the remaining 3 seals for safe keeping to three of his classmates who are now scientists in various fields. The
fourth one which is in his possession is stolen by his murderer. The left leg
is stabbed and a mark of Vishnu is stamped on Anil’s forehead. A verse is written
with his blood on the wall above him. This pattern of killings continues as the
murderer seeks the remaining three seals.

Professor Ravi Mohan Saini ,who is Anil’s closest friend gets
‘involved’ in the series murders that take place. The police mistake him for
the suspect and Saini escapes from police custody along with his Doctoral
student, Priya and this is facilitated by Priya’s father who is a lawyer. He
tries to prove his innocence by going to various places to meet the other
people who have the seal but they are murdered before he arrives and since he
is invariably present in murder scenes, it makes his side of the case weak.

Taarak Vakil, who is tutored by the desperado in various arts with
the belief that he is the 10th incarnation
of Lord Vishnu is the actual culprit but gets away from the crime easily.

There are several interesting twists and turns in this tale. Friend turns
foe and the antagonist turns into Saini’s love interest.

The bevy of scientists in this novel come into focus at different
points of the story to uncover Lord Krishna’s prized possession- the Syamantaka or the Philosopher’s stone. The 4
seals are in a way connected to the discovery of this stone.

The fast paced plots takes the reader on a journey to Dwaraka,
Somnath ,the icy Kailash mountain and finally to the famous Taj Mahal.

Is Saini able to prove his innocence and does he get hold of the
Philosopher’s stone is the climax.

My view….

·
Mythology
intermingled with the present day thriller is a good attribute. The short
snippets at the start of each chapter give an insight to the stories from the Mahabharata
and the modern day story tries to interpret the Vedic period in a different
light.

·
Significance of
the numbers 18 and 108 is explained in a clear way and it brings out the
importance of these numbers in Hinduism. Interestingly there are 108 chapters
in this book.

·
Aspects
like -‘Was nuclear weapon used in the ‘Mahabharata war’,history of the
Somnath temple, architectural feat of the Taj Mahal, the powers of the Shiv
Linga and the reason why Bhel leaves are used to cover it are discussed in an interesting
way.

·
The
book is well researched and even has an acknowledgment and reference section at
the end

·
I
love Dan Brown’s works and this book somehow reminded me of ‘Angel’s and
Demon’s. Since the settings and characters are different, the story is
appealing.

·
Certain
points are repeated at various places and in my opinion they could have been
avoided.

·
There
are a few errors and care could have been taken to avoid them especially the
one that mixes up the names of the 2 female characters.

Do I recommend this book?

YES….Reading a book that has a fast paced story with an
interesting intertwine of two eras is totally exhilarating! If you are a
history buff / love the epics / have a soft spot for thrillers, this book is a
must read….